Key Verse: “Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife” (Judges 21:1).

DCLM Daily Manna 18 October 2018 Message: The need to pause and evaluate issues critically before taking decisions cannot be overemphasised. It has been said that today’s decision is tomorrow’s reality. Every decision we take will, by extension, have implications on the lives of many others, even generations yet unborn.
Israel, in her presumed zeal for God, twice took decisions in anger which they ended up regretting. Their rash decisions resulted in the destruction of lives which they could not restore. In fact, they had to also kill the men of Jabesh Gilead in their attempt to get wives for the Benjamites which still couldn’t solve the problem. It is important to note that God warns against anger or associating with an angry or furious man (Ephesians 4:31; Proverbs 22:24).

Decisions taken in anger or reacting angrily to issues is a reflection of the foolishness in man because “He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly…” (Proverbs 14:17). Rash decisions often result in regrets. It compounds man’s problem and aggravates error and disaster.

It is wrong for anyone to take another person’s life under the excuse of being zealous for God. There can be no element of divinity in any spurious swallowing up of humanity. Therefore, subsume your temper to the control of the Almighty. To avoid fatal errors and regrets, approach God in prayers before taking decisions. “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established”

Thought for the Day: Think before you act; don’t act before you think.

Daily Bible Reading: John 6

DCLM Daily Manna 18 October 2018 Devotional was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.